Apparatus for cracking and distilling hydrocarbons



P 3, 1932. H. ANDERSON 1,877,634

APPARATUS FOR CRACKING AND DISTILLING HYDROCARBONS Filed Feb. 9. 1929 L.fifjjlillijjlllu L L.; i INVENTOR W 26L WMHAMW Patented Sept. 13, 1932UNITED" STATES PATENT, Q'F j 1 JOHN H. ANDERSON, or DETROIT, MICHIGAASSIGNOR To A 'TITH'E MO ENGINEER- r IN'G COMPANY, A CORPORATION orPENNSYLVANIA IAPPARATUS r03 CRACKING AND nIs'rILLINe n'rnRooAnBoNs'Application filed February 9-, 1929. Serial No. 338,739.

In the accompanying drawing Figure 1 is a central sectional elevation ofapparatus embodying the invention, certain parts-being shown in fullelevation. Figure 2 is a front end elevation omitting the supply tank.Figure 3 is a detail view upon a somewhat larger scale. 1 r

In general the apparatus herein shown is the same as apparatus alreadydescribed by me in LettersPatent No. 1,800,672 the invention to beherein described residing in improvements upon such apparatus.

The necessary heatis generated in the Combustion chamber 1 of thefurnace 2 by means of two burners 3 projectingthrough the front wall 4near the top of the furnace chamber. In the furnace described in my saidformer application the products of combustion passed out of thecombustion chamber through a stack located at the rear of. the furnace.But according to the pres ent invention I provide a flue 5 for theproducts of combustion, which opens out of the floor of the combustionchamber at the front, namely, at the same end of the furnace that theburners are located, and below the burners. I have found in practicethat this arrangement is peculiarly effective in the form of furnaceshown, and gives more uniform heating of the retort and its contents.The

products of combustion pass through the flue 5 to the stack 5a, shown inFigure 2.

Rotatably supported in the combustion chamber by means to be describedpresently is the hollow retort 6, which is a metallic shell of thecontour of a truncated cone, having at its smaller rear end a coaxialtubular throat 7, which projects out through the rear wall of thecombustion chamber, and the open end of which is closed by a perforatescreen or lattice 8. The conical retort 6 is tilted over on its side andis supported within the combustion chamber with the lower longitudinalline of its side wall in horizontal position, or substantially so, asshown in Figure 1, and consequently with its axis downwardly inclinedfrom front to rear. In the front wall 9 of the larger end of the retort6, which is adjacent to the front wall 4 of the combustion chamber thereis formed an axial tubular throat 10, which projects respondinglyinclined bearing rollers 18,

and its outer screened open end projects through'the inclined lateralopening 19 in the T 20, which also has the upwardly-proj ecting deliverypipe 21 for the gaseous products coming from the retort, and thedownwardly projecting discharge pipe 22for'the residue which isdischarged from the retort through thescreen or lattice 8.

.. It is a matter of great importance that the joint betweenthe tubularextension 7 of the retort and the T 20 shall be tight. If the operationwithin the retort is being conducted under superatmospheric pressure,passage.

of the gases out through this jointmay easily create a very'dangerousenvironment, while 1f the operation 1s belng conducted under a smallvacuum the consequences of drawing air inwardly into the flowing gaseousstream may well be equally-harmful. An important factor in themaintenance of a tight joint is the relatively small diameter of theoutlet end of theretort and of the extension 7 'ascompared with "that ofthe body of the retort, whereby the thrustingstressof the retort uponthis joint at the discharge end is greatly augmented. In order to form abear ing particularly suitable for this purpose, I provide awater-cooled bearing ring 25 which is secured in the opening 19, havingwithin it the hollow water channel 31, having a wa:

two other thin rings or annular disks 26 and 27. The ring 27 has oilpockets 29 formed in its opposite faces and lubricating oil is suppliedto the bearing from the oil cup 30, passing through the channel 80a inthe outer portion of the bearing ring 25. This not only makes a veryeffective thrust bearing, but by reason of the cooperating inclinedfaces of the loose ring 28 and the bearing ring 25, the tubularextension 7 of the retort may always be accurately centered in itsbearing, and with a minimum of effort.

It will be understood that the specific arrangement of the members ofthe thrust bearing may be varied, and the cooperating inclined faces beformed in other members thereof, without departure from the invention.

At the opposite end of the apparatus the outer end of the tubular hub 11is tightly closed by a stuffing box -34, through which passes the oilsupply pipe 35 which leads from the oil tank 36 through the hub 11, andopens into the front of the retort 6. A cook 37 is provided in the pipe35 for controlling the flow of the oil therethrough.

The retort contains a mass of loose metal bodies, which while the retortis at rest will be of a depth corresponding about to the height of theupper edge of the screen8 above the level of the floor of the retort.These bodies may be of iron or steel; or, if desired, they, or some ofthem, may be of metal having a catalytic effect, such as nickel. Intumbling about within the retort while the latter is being rotated, themetal bodies continually agitate, stir and break up the tarry matter andother residue as it forms, until under combined heating and attritionthe residue may ultimately become nearly or quite dry.' The openingsthrough the screen or lattice 8 are of such size that the metal bodieswill be retained in the retort, while the granular residue will flow outfreely and automatically into and through the discharge pipe or otheroutlet 22. The metal bodies keep one another clean, and they also keepthe inner surface of the retort clean and free from any accumulation ofresidue, so that the heat will be conducted freely and uniformly throughthe wall of the retort.

' I claim as my invention:

1. Apparatus for cracking and distilling hydrocarbons comprising, incombination, a heating-chamber and means for supplying heat thereto, aconical retort rotatably supported within the heating-chamber with itsaxis, inclined downwardlyfrom its larger to its smaller end, hollowinclined axial trunnions opening out of the retort at its'oppositeendsand projectingthrough the opposite end walls of the heating-chamber,means connected to the trunnion at the larger end for rotating theretort, means for supplying the substances to be treated at the largerend of the retort, a receiver for the products of the operation havingan opening for the other of said trunnions, bearing shoulders formedrespectively upon said trunnion and upon said receiver surrounding saidopening, and a ring arranged between said shoulders and having -aninclined face contacting with a cooperating inclined face upon one ofsaid shoulders.

2. Apparatus for 'cracking and distilling hydrocarbons comprising, incombination, a heating-chamber and means for supplying heat thereto, aconical retort rotatably supported within the heating chamber with itsaxis inclined downwardly from its larger to its smaller end, hollowinclined axial trunnions opening out of the retort at its opposite endsand projecting through the opposite end walls of the heating chamber,means connected to the trunnion at the larger end for 1 rotating theretort, means for supplying the substances to be treated at the largerend of the retort, a receiver for the products of the operation havingan opening for the other of the said trunnions, a bearing shoulder

